The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Los Angeles Chargers in their season opener on Friday night, losing by a score of 27-21.
A lot went wrong for the Chiefs on the evening, but perhaps their biggest issue was their typically stout defense being gashed for 394 yards, with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert going 25-for-34 with 318 yards and three touchdowns.
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During the game, former NFL safety Ryan Clark noted that Kansas City was clearly missing one very key player in Week 1: safety Justin Reid, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency.
The Chiefs wanted to keep Reid, but they did not want to pay him the three-year, $31.5 million contract he received from the Saints.
Reid may not be a household name outside of Kansas City, but he played a critical role for the Chiefs in their back-to-back Super Bowl championships during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. He was impressive last season, as well, finishing with 87 tackles, a couple of interceptions and eight passes defended.
Over the years, defensive backs like L'Jarius Sneed — who is now playing in Tennessee — and Trent McDuffie received most of the national attention in Kansas City, but on Friday, it was blatantly obvious that the departure of Reid was indeed felt.
Of course, it's only one game, so it's important not to overreact. Remember: the Chiefs also lost their season opener in 2023, but ultimately went on to win the Super Bowl. Plus, Kansas City has many new faces on its roster that need to adjust.
That being said, there were legitimate concerns about the Chiefs heading into 2025, so it's not a complete shock that they fell to the Chargers.
It's a long season, though, and Kansas City has plenty of time to recover. The Chiefs will host the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch next Sunday.
For more on the Chiefs and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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